The Springboro Panthers will challenge the Mason Comets at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Springboro is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.
Five must be Springboro's lucky number: they beat Beavercreek with that score not once but twice on Wednesday. The Panthers beat the Beavers by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-4.
Jacob Rhinehart looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jacob Cane, who went 2-for-3 with two triples, three RBI, and one run. Micah Brandon was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Mason had no trouble coming through when it counted. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Oak Hills a 7-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Comets haven't had any issues with the Highlanders recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive win against them.
Oak Hills' batters probably weren't too happy with Andrew Visconti, who pitched a no hitter and racked up nine Ks (he gave up four walks).
On the hitting side, Drew Johnson was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cade Landheer, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Mason was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oak Hills only posted a batting average of .000.
Springboro pushed their record up to 25-9 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Mason, their record is now 22-6.
Springboro might still be hurting after the 12-6 loss they got from Mason in their previous matchup back in May of 2019. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
